Chapter 848
Array Dao Academy
"I never expected that the Myriad Manifestations Palace, which prides itself on being the leader of the righteous path in this remote border region, would actually negotiate with foreign races. It's quite laughable. State your conditions, and I will consider them," Kong Sang Li Feng said, sitting high on the wave, her tone slightly flippant.
The Dragon Elephant True Lord strode over the waves and said in a cold tone, "If you sincerely want to negotiate, then get down from up there and talk face to face. Otherwise, I will make you regret coming here."
“Long Huan…” Kong Sang Li Feng’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"What, are you surprised to see me appear before you?" Dragon Elephant True Monarch's tone was unfriendly.
On that day, after parting ways with Song Changsheng at the border of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, he set about tearing through space and opening up a spatial passage that led directly to the outer perimeter of the Myriad Manifestations Palace.
Unexpectedly, they were attacked halfway through their journey.
The attacker was a Nascent Soul cultivator from the demonic path, and if nothing unexpected happened, it was the same one who had ambushed the Hundred Cauldrons Pavilion on the way.
The other party's behavior was extremely strange, just like when they attacked Baiding Pavilion. They made contact and left immediately, never lingering in the fight, and their purpose was completely unknown.
It caused them no loss, nor did it bring them any gain; it was like a mischievous child playing pranks for no reason.
Dragon Elephant True Monarch couldn't figure out what the other party was thinking, but considering the various unusual behaviors of the sea tribe recently, he naturally pinned the blame on them, since they were the ones who benefited the most.
"I wouldn't be surprised if you died." Kong Sang Li Feng's expression was cold and stern, but she still followed the instructions of Long Xiang Zhen Jun and fell off the wave.
As everyone knows, among the three True Lords of the Myriad Elephant Palace, Celestial Elephant True Lord Yi Tian is the only one who can communicate normally, while the remaining Dragon Elephant True Lord and Thunder Elephant True Lord are the kind of people who will flip the table at the drop of a hat.
Among them, the Dragon Elephant True Monarch has the worst temper. He will fight at the slightest disagreement. However, he is born with the strength of a dragon and an elephant. Not to mention cultivators of the same realm, even those with stronger cultivation will be made to look very bad by him.
Therefore, when the other party said they would make him regret it, it wasn't just empty talk; they really dared to do it.
He came here to negotiate, not to start a war for no reason. With the return of the Dragon Elephant True Monarch, the balance of their high-end combat power has been broken, and it would be extremely unwise to start a war now.
"State your terms. I don't have much time to waste with you."
Upon hearing this, Celestial True Monarch said calmly, "You have all witnessed the power of the [Gold-Devouring Spirit Insect]. We can deploy it on a large scale at any time. If you do not want to see the underwater spiritual veins destroyed on a large scale and cause sea monsters to migrate to the distant sea in droves, then stop using and destroy all [Demon Pu Flower] and withdraw from our human race's sea territory. This is the bottom line, and it cannot be shaken."
"Human territory? That's laughable. The ocean has always been the domain of the sea creatures. What right do you upright-walking bugs have to say that?"
"You're the ones who should quit!"
Faced with Kong Sang Li Feng's rude remarks, Yi Tian Zheng did not get angry. He calmly said, "It seems there is no point in talking."
"I've said it before, we can't have any hope in these small fry. Ultimately, conflicts must be resolved with swords and spears." The power of laws within Dragon Elephant True Monarch surged, and the surrounding sea space began to tremble violently.
Kong Sang Li Feng retorted sharply, "If you want to fight, I'll fight you to the bitter end. At worst, we'll fight to the death. The spiritual vein ecosystem can be rebuilt after it's destroyed. Once all these spiritual islands are destroyed, let's see what right you have to swagger in front of me!"
"A fight to the death? Ridiculous."
Not to mention that we have already discovered the weakness of the [Demon Flower], even if we hadn't, the potential of the [Gold-Devouring Spirit Insect] is far more than that; if it can destroy the ecosystem, it can destroy the spiritual veins.
"Let me tell you the truth, what you see now is the result of the [Gold-Devouring Spirit Insect] being weakened countless times. If it continues to be stubborn, it will be much worse than it is now." True Monarch Dragon Elephant crossed his arms, his words full of threat.
"Hmph, you think I can only offer the [Demon Flower]? I have plenty of similar things. If you don't believe me, feel free to try."
The Celestial True Lord responded calmly, "No matter what you can offer, the worst outcome will be mutual destruction."
"At worst, my palace will retreat to the mainland. As for you, you can forget about ever entering the core of the Merfolk's power structure again."
Upon hearing this, Kong Sang Li Feng's expression remained unchanged, but her heart was filled with extreme agitation.
Yi Tianzheng's move hit his weak spot.
As the royal family among the sea creatures, the Merfolk control the most precious resources of the entire East Sea, while the rare royal family controls the most precious of those resources.
If a large amount of resources are supplied to a small number of people, even a pig won't be too bad.
However, they do not completely act as vampires. Once the royal children grow up to the level of demon king, they will be enfeoffed to the front line of the confrontation between the two races to govern the sea tribes within their territory.
The fiefdoms of royal family members are divided according to the coastline of the coastal human cultivation world.
Kongsang Lifeng corresponds to the Great Qian Cultivation World.
However, despite accumulating power over the years, he has never had much of a presence.
In his view, those spirit islands were useless places, and the war with the human race was a bottomless pit. Rather than wasting his strength here, he would rather conserve his energy and wait for a suitable opportunity to settle the score in one battle.
However, plans can't keep up with changes. The emperor of the Merfolk clan is nearing the end of his life and is looking for a suitable successor to personally train. Anyone who has reached the cultivation level of a Demon Emperor has a chance to be selected.
According to the long-standing tradition of the Merfolk, after a new emperor ascends the throne, he has the right to create a leadership team that is completely obedient to him, which is equivalent to the decision-making level of the entire sea race. As long as one can enter the team, in addition to power, one can also enjoy the best resources in the entire East Sea.
All members of the merfolk royal family who have reached the level of Demon Lord are qualified to compete, and among them, those who are at the forefront of the two races have an absolute advantage.
For this reason, these royal princes were eager to establish merits in order to attract the attention of the new emperor and thus enter the decision-making level.
Kong Sang Li Feng naturally had the same idea, which is why she changed her usual style and launched this probing counterattack.
If things really escalate to the point of mutual destruction, it would be good enough if they didn't escape punishment within the clan, let alone gain entry into the decision-making level.
After thinking for a long time, Kongsang Lifeng said in a deep voice: "I can agree to your first condition, but there is absolutely no possibility of you withdrawing your troops. This is my bottom line."
Celestial Elephant True Lord and Thunder Elephant True Lord exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.
The battle has reached this point, and both sides have suffered considerable losses. Continuing the stalemate is meaningless. They originally thought that Kong Sang Li Feng would take the opportunity to back down and the two sides would cease hostilities, but they did not expect that the other side had no such intention at all.
"Since you want to fight, then continue fighting. It's best not to resort to underhanded tactics again, or you won't be so rude next time." Dragon Elephant True Monarch's tone was cold and sharp as he turned and left.
"I hope you won't forget your promise today. If I see any more [Demon Flower] within a month, the enhanced [Gold-Eating Spirit Insects] will surely cover the entire sea area." With that, Yi Tianzheng turned and left.
After they all left, Shenyun looked at Kongsang Lifeng with a puzzled expression and said, "The Five Academies Competition is over, and there is clearly no need to continue this battle. Why do you insist on continuing the fight? Our losses are considerable."
"The focus of this war is not on how much territory to reclaim or how many casualties to inflict, but mainly on providing cover for our allies."
We may not launch any major battles afterward, but as long as we do not withdraw our troops, the Myriad Manifestations Palace and even the entire Great Qian cultivation world will not dare to relax for a moment. In this way, their progress will be smoother.
"Do you really believe them? You must know that those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts!" Shenyun clearly did not quite agree with Kongsang Lifeng's plan.
"I don't care whether they are reliable or not. I only know that we have a common enemy. Under this premise, anyone with a brain knows who the truly reliable ally is."
"Without our support, do those people really think they can get anything done?"
Upon hearing this, Shenyun immediately stopped talking. Compared to the Myriad Manifestations Palace, their strength was indeed somewhat weaker, and this ally was crucial to them.
"Give the order to destroy all the [Demon Flower]. Also, send a message to the Blood Soul Demon Sect that they need to speed things up. My patience has its limits, so don't try to fool me anymore."
"As ordered."
……
"Is this the legendary Array Dao Academy?"
Zhuang Yuechan looked up at the floating island in the sky, or more accurately, a floating continent. It was incomparable to the floating islands built by the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty.
"This should be it. What a grand gesture! They actually used an anti-gravity array to support such a massive artificial floating island."
Compared to this floating island, Song Changsheng, as an array master, clearly had a different focus than her.
"You mean, such a huge floating island was supported by just one array?"
The [Anti-Gravity Array] consumes a huge amount of energy. Such a large array probably couldn't even be sustained by a fifth-tier spiritual vein. Where does its energy come from?
"At the core of this sky island lies a massive power source, continuously radiating energy to maintain the operation of the grand formation."
"What kind of treasure could possess such power?"
A power source even more powerful than a fifth-order spiritual vein. Even with the memories of True Monarch Yu Shu, Zhuang Yuechan couldn't imagine what kind of treasure it was. This gave a glimpse into the powerful foundation of the Array Dao Academy.
"Song Changsheng, a fourth-tier array master and instructor at the Myriad Manifestations Palace branch, along with his wife Zhuang Yuechan, have come to pay a visit at the invitation of True Monarch Yingyue. We request that the Guardian Elder appear to meet them!"
Song Changsheng's clear and peaceful voice echoed between heaven and earth, even scattering the clouds.
As his voice faded, a deep and majestic voice suddenly rang out from the sky island: "So it is you, young friends Song and Zhuang from the Great Qi. You have come from afar. Please come in and have a chat."
As soon as he finished speaking, a staircase emitting a pure white fluorescent light descended from the sky island and came to the couple in front of them.
The two followed the steps to the sky island, where an old man with a profound and awe-inspiring presence stood with his hands in his sleeves, quietly watching them with a hint of consideration in his eyes.
Even with Song Changsheng's perception, he couldn't see through the other party's cultivation level, clearly indicating that this was a True Monarch-level expert.
"Greetings, True Lord."
The couple quickly bowed.
"Yingyue has told me everything that happened. Winning the championship among the five academies, young friend, you are truly a genius among geniuses."
After saying that, he turned his gaze to Zhuang Yuechan and smiled slightly, saying, "You are not bad either. Your aptitude is not top-notch, but there is a power in your body that makes even this old man feel a little uneasy. If you can make good use of it, your future is limitless."
Zhuang Yuechan was shocked. She thought she had completely integrated the power of True Monarch Yu Shu and that no one would find out as long as she didn't say anything. She never expected that the other party would see through her at a glance. She had met quite a few True Monarch-level experts, but this was the first time that someone had directly exposed her.
"After Yingyue returned to the palace, she received a temporary mission and is not currently in the palace, but she has already explained your purpose."
"Carving Formations with One's Body"—the name is quite fitting. I hope your arrival can break through their long-standing bottleneck.
Someone will come to meet with you shortly. You can visit the palace for the next few days. Except for a few restricted areas, you can go anywhere, including the library.
"You're also a formation master; there are some things about you that you should be very interested in."
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng was shocked. The reason why the Array Dao Academy was known as the holy land of array masters in the world was mainly because the academy had a library that collected 99% of the world's array Dao inheritance.
From the ancient times when the art of array formations first emerged until now, most of the lineages of array formations can be found in the library of the Array Formation Academy, including some "unique copies" that have been completely lost to the outside world.
No array master in the world could resist the temptation of entering the Array Dao Academy's library, and now that the opportunity was right in front of them, how could they not be tempted?
The only thing that puzzled him was that he had clearly asked the Array Dao Academy for a favor, so why was the Academy being so lenient with him?
That was the world-renowned Array Dao Academy's Scripture Repository, and it was opened to him just like that.
Perhaps sensing Song Changsheng's confusion, the guardian elder said leisurely, "This is the academy. The academy exists to benefit all array masters in the world. The original intention of collecting inheritances and establishing this scripture pavilion was also to protect these inheritances from being destroyed by war or other reasons."
If one keeps something secret and refuses to show it to others, then one is violating the teachings left by the patriarch.
People generally regard the academy's library as a forbidden and inaccessible place. In fact, the library has always been open to the public. Anyone who can set foot on the island is qualified to enter the library to read the books, only the time varies.
Young friend, you have been invited, and you certainly deserve it. I hope you will gain something from these next few days.”
As soon as he finished speaking, an elegant young woman in a pale yellow dress walked in from behind...
...(End of chapter)